


Terrible Things

by newtheglue



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Getting Together, Heartbreak, I'm Sorry, M/M, Minor Character Death, Most characters are just mentioned, Sad Ending, Set during All Out War, Short, Slight spoilers, again: sorry, mostly non canon tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 12:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10412487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newtheglue/pseuds/newtheglue
Summary: It starts like this: A quiet confession leaves Paul's lips. A hushed, "I love you," before the battle that would inevitably ensue the next day. Daryl, in a rare moment of confidence, replies with gently pressing his lips to Paul's.





	

_It starts like this:_ A quiet confession leaves Paul's lips. A hushed, _"I love you,"_ before the battle that would inevitably ensue the next day. Daryl, in a rare moment of confidence, replies with gently pressing his lips to Paul's.  
  
It's a fragile moment- just the two of them, surrounded by the sounds of the soft, languid kiss and the melody of their synchronized breathing.  
  
They don't take it further than kissing, too afraid of ruining the tenderness of the moment.  
  
Later that night, when Daryl thinks the man lying beside him is asleep, he murmurs, _"I love you, too."_  
  
Paul, who is still very much awake, smiles softly.

* * *

  
  
_The middle goes like this:_ The war has come to a full head, both sides experiencing irreversible losses. _Sasha, Eric, Tobin, Shiva, countless Alexandrians._ There's no time to grieve. The most they can do is shed a few tears and keep going.  
  
Daryl and Paul fight side by side. It's how they work. They twist and stab and shoot in sync, never moving from the other's back.  
  
There's no time for them to be a couple anymore. They never had the chance that Rick and Michonne once had. They're only together during strategizing, fighting, and if they're lucky, when they sleep at night.  
  
Their love, somehow, only grows stronger through this. Through knowing they're fighting for their chance. Fighting for a life with one another.

* * *

  
  
_It ends like this:_ Negan is there, in Alexandria. There's another lineup, the group forced to their knees. Jesus and Daryl are still side by side.  
  
There's no random picking this time. Negan has his eyes focused on his former prisoner, the one who had killed so many Saviors.  
  
Paul cries out when the bat hits Daryl. Blood trickles down Daryl’s face, dripping into his blue eyes.  
  
Paul feels the warmth of his lover’s blood on his cheek. He turns away. He screws his eyes shut and begs for mercy. He wants it to be over, he doesn't want to feel the pain that comes with every sound Daryl makes, the sounds of Rick and Michonne and Carl and Maggie and everyone else screaming and crying out. Paul just sobs helplessly and blocks it all out.  
  
He thinks he passes out, because he doesn't hear the words Daryl says to him.  
  
_It's okay, I love you_ , Maggie tells him later. She doesn't tell him the way Daryl had choked on the words, that they had been spoken with blood spilling from his mouth. She doesn’t tell him that Rick refused to leave Daryl’s body after Negan left, and that he sobbed to the point of yelling when the Alexandrians managed to pry Daryl from him. She doesn’t tell him that Carol hasn't spoken since that night, and that Ezekiel is finding it hard to make her eat. She doesn’t tell him that Aaron hasn’t been seen without a liquor bottle since Daryl and Eric, that Carl has nightmares that keep him from sleeping, that Michonne is looking for a way to sneak into The Sanctuary to kill Negan herself. She doesn’t tell him, because he’s doing just as badly.

Paul _hurts, hurts, hurts._

Paul dreams of killing Negan in the same cruel way Daryl died. He dreams of killing every last Savior, not caring about the consequences. He dreams of everyone he's lost. He dreams of Daryl. He dreams of going back to the beginning, the middle. He dreams of the end.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry. But if you're looking for a story with a (probably) happier ending, you should go read my other Desus story! Thank you for reading!


End file.
